Please Join the Vigil for Unemployed/Underemployed

North Texas Jobs with Justice is joining the nationwide "First Friday" vigils for unemployed/underemployed.

Noon on May 6

A. Maceo Smith Federal Building

525 Griffin (at Young) in downtown Dallas (near the train station)

The site was chosen because the Department of Labor is housed there.
The date was chosen because the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases unemployment figures each first Friday
The events are necessary because millions of unemployed Americans remain out of work for unprecedented periods of time
and because unemployment is having a profound effect on the working hours, wages, and benefits of all working Americans.

Higher unemployment likely as economy continues to lag

The economy continues to grow at a remarkably slow pace as
evidenced by last week’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) report
released by the Department of Commerce. GDP grew by an
annualized rate of 1.8% in the first quarter of 2011, a decline
from the previous quarter’s 3.1% rate.

“Growth this slow, if sustained for a year, would most definitely
lead to a guaranteed rise in the unemployment rate – it’s time
for politicians to put jobs back on the top of the issues menu,”
said EPI economist Josh Bivens.
This rate of growth does little to lower the overall employment
rate and shows more government intervention is necessary to
make significant progress.

“All of the signs in the GDP report point to an economy that
remains below potential because it lacks sufficient spending,”
Bivens continued in an analysis of the new GDP data. “Given
this data on slow spending growth and decelerating wage
pressures, it is odd indeed that boosting economic growth is not
a higher priority among Washington policymakers.”
People’s Budget achieves savings and
protects the social safety net